Foreign Correspondents

A very pedestrian romantic movie - actually two short films that were put together. (It's obvious as the film moves along that they were conceptualized separately.) The acting is ok, but it's full of cliched characters and Wil Wheaton plays what is supposed to be a romantic, appears to be a demented stalker. Technically, the film is passable, thought the loud and very overly orchestrated music is way too much for such an indie film. The director seems like an assembler more than a leader by the plotting in this film.

On the surface, this is a story of young people who are battling loneliness. But it's also the story of getting past pretense, of finding out who a person really is. It deals with fooling oneself, and fooling others. There's a rather humorous undertone of how foreigners view Americans, and vice versa. During the story, some of the characters develop, and some don't. Those who don't develop seem to prefer deluding themselves, in order to protect their hearts from a world of hurt. I recommend that you go see the movie, if you can!

If you want to be able to say in the future that you spotted Mark Kines' talent early -- see his first film, "Foreign Correspondents." My guess is he will go on to make many great movies. Like most first attempts, "F.C." has some flaws, but they are minor. What counts is that it's, in the end, fresh, creative and a pleasure to spend 102 minutes with. Be sure and get the DVD format, because the director's comments version of the film will add a great deal to your enjoyment and understanding. If you like movies at all and enjoy watching an outstanding talent develop, don't miss Mark Kines', "Foreign Correspondents." Oh yes, I do have a quibble with the title, I think it should be "Foreign Correspondence" -- that would be a better play on the double meaning. See it, you'll like it.

Quiet, poignant duo of thematically intertwined stories of love and yearning. Acting is excellent, the characters themselves are very believable (okay, not all of them are entirely likable, but they are believable.) The storylines never take the easy cliche.

I've had the pleasure of seeing this film twice now and am looking forward to a third. Mark has done an amazing job interweaving two stories about real people experiencing real dilemmas in life. He avoids the stereotypical Hollywood glitz, glamour, happy endings and tragic hero deaths to instead create a film that will leave you pondering about the fate of all the characters long after you leave the theatre because they are YOU! Everyone who sees this film will be able to pick out at least one character and say "Wow! That's ME!!" Because of this, my one word of caution would be that it can be a very emotionally draining film, but still extremely satisfying because it makes you think and feel. It's impossible to give away the ending because there isn't one, just as in real life. Mark leaves that up to you. So when you've had enough of the special fx movies and are ready for a film that plays to all your other senses, come check this one out.

The musical score is one of the best I've heard in a long time!